SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
It's difficult to say just how many of his nine lives Meiko the cat has used up.

No one really knows what kind of adventures the six-year-old tabby got into during the 15 days he was missing.

Meiko the cat and his owner Heather Rosvold share some quality snuggling time together earlier this week. More than two weeks after he went missing, Rosvold got the cat back after posting a $1,000 reward for his safe return - photo courtesy Heather Rosvold

All Meiko's owner knows is she's overjoyed to have him back.

Heather Rosvold said she was happy to pay the $1,000 reward she'd offered for his safe return.

"I don't think the reward money was the reason I got him back. But, it did get people talking about Meiko. It got the attention of the news media, specifically the Yellowknifer, and had people talking on social media, as well," she said.

Rosvold put up flyers with a photo of Meiko announcing the hefty reward shortly after the cat went missing on July 2 from the Bison Estates apartment where he'd been staying with friends of Rosvold's.

The $1,000 reward created a buzz, she said.

"I know it's unusual to offer a $1,000 reward for a cat, but he means that much to me and sometimes people will be motivated by money to do the right thing," she added.

Rosvold put up half the money herself while her aunt in Calgary offered the other $500.

Rosvold said there were several sightings of Meiko, or cats that looked like Meiko, over the two weeks he was missing.

"That's why I was a little concerned that it might not be Meiko when a woman called me last Thursday saying she thought my cat was at her place," she said.

"But, I went over to her house on Forrest Drive North and, sure enough, it was a scared Meiko hiding under her shed."

It was actually a dog that sniffed Meiko out first, Weber said.

"My German Shepherd, Raiden, was out in the yard barking at something that was under the shed.

So I went out, put the dog away got a flashlight and saw there was a cat curled up under the deck.

I had heard about Meiko and called Heather to tell I thought her cat was in my yard," Weber said.

Rosvold quickly arrived at Weber's house where Meiko was still holed up.

"I knew it was him," she said. "I could see that it was Meiko, but it took a little coaxing to get him to come out. He's was probably afraid of the dog. But after talking to him, he eventually crawled out."

Rosvold said he looked a little haggard.

"He was covered in cobwebs and twigs, but was otherwise fine," she said. "He really hadn't gone that far. He was only a few blocks from where he'd started."

Rosvold said both she and Weber had tears in their eyes after the joyous reunion.

"It was very dramatic, very exciting - like a scene out of a movie." Rosvold said.

"I've had Meiko since he was a kitten. I brought him to Yellowknife all the way from Nova Scotia and for two weeks I thought I'd never see him again. It was very emotional for both of us."

The next day, Rosvold went back to Weber's residence to give her the $1,000 reward.

"I'm giving all the money to the NWT SPCA," Weber said.

"I rescued my own dog from the Fort Smith Animal Shelter. I myself was the SPCA's vice-president for 14 years. This is my way of paying it forward."

She said the folks at the SPCA were ecstatic at news of the donation.

"I went out and got a big bone for my dog that night," Weber said. "I want him to know he also did good."

Meiko is currently being boarded at the Borealis Kennels in Kam Lake until Rosvold moves into a cat-friendly apartment building at the end of the month.

"I took him to the vet and he treated him for ear mites," Rosvold said. Other than that he was the same old Meiko."

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